Aisin officials: Japanese employees at Lily plant not directly affected by earthquake, tsunami

 Officials at Aisin Automotive Casting in Lily said none of the plant’s seven Japanese employees were directly affected by the earthquake and tsunami that struck northern Japan March 11.

"Most of our Japanese employees are from southern Japan," said John Gilbert, Human Resources Manager at the Lily plant. "The northern part of the country is very rural."

Gilbert added that several people have sent flowers and cards to the plant letting the Japanese workers know they are keeping them and their countrymen in their thoughts and prayers as the country tries to recover from the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck near the city of Sendai on the northeastern coast.

As a result of the earthquake, officials said a tsunami, a 23-foot wall of water, battered the east coast, washing away hundreds of homes and an unknown number of people.

As of Tuesday, several news agencies were reporting that at least three nuclear reactors were suffering meltdowns. The extent of potential contamination from radiation leaks remains unknown.

However, the loss of electrical power has forced rolling electrical blackouts.

Gilbert said the blackouts have led carmaker Toyota, for which Aisin provides parts, to announce Monday it will be shutting down production in Japan for three days.

Gilbert said the shutdown will not affect production at the Lily plant.

Plant officials are discussing potential fundraising efforts to aid the victims.

"We have had talks of collecting loose change, but we are still trying to decide," Gilbert said, adding that the public will be invited to participate.